Battle of Sanimon
The Battle of Sanimon was the fifth major battle during the Chain of Dogs. After the slaughter at Vathar Crossing and the misery of The Dry March, Fist Coltaine and his army reached the southern end of the Nenoth Odhan. Although closer to Aren, no relief force rushed to their aid, and new lands meant new enemies.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 19, US HC p.502-503 The Battlefield The trader track they followed wound its way southward into the Sanimon valley between the Bylan'sh Hills and the Saniphir Hills. The valley continued for seven leagues before opening onto the Geleen Plain near the ancient tel of Sanimon. The massive tel was a flat-topped hill thirty arm-spans high and half a mile across. The road curved around its eastern side before continuing south.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 19, US HC p.503 From the tel ran two ancient roads raised to a height of fifteen arm-spans above the plain. The Painesan'm road ran west to Painemon while the Sanijhe'm road ran to the Clatar Sea.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 20, US HC p.524 Opposing Forces Malazan Coltaine's 7th Army was much reduced from the disastrous fight at Vathar Crossing. While the number of refugees had been nearly halved during the massacre, their numbers had been bolstered to thirty thousand by more civilians fleeing Bylan. Lack of food and water resulted in soldiers and refugees dropping dead in their tracks. Their dire position was alleviated by a fortuitous gift from renegade Malazan Fist Dujek Onearm. Aided by financing from the T'orrud Cabal in Darujhistan, the Fist contracted the Trygalle Trade Guild to travel through the warrens to deliver three massive carriages full of provisions. The Imperial Historian noted that the "sudden bounty could not effect complete rejuvenation, but the army that rose with the dawn revealed a calm readiness that Duiker had not seen since Gelor Ridge".Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 19, US HC p.503-508Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 20, US HC p.528 Coltaine placed the refugees in a basin just north of the valley mouth guarded on a rise to the north by the Weasel and Foolish Dog Clans. The 7th Army infantry was placed to the south of the basin, and the Crow Clan horse-warriors were placed in the army's vanguard facing the two enemy forces blocking the mouth of the valley.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 19, US HC p.508 Coltaine, Duiker, and List positioned themselves on a low rise to the east of the road to observe the battle.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 19, US HC p.508 Whirlwind Korbolo Dom's forces outnumbered Coltaine's by five to one as they approached from the north. They outnumbered the nearest Malazan force, the two Wickan Clans guarding the refugees, by more than thirty to one. Dom's forces included Can'eld, Semk, and even a few remaining Tithansi. Additionally, two vast encampments of local tribesmen blocked Coltaine's passage southwards. The Tregyn held the western end of the valley entrance while the Bhilard held the east. The Khundryl tribe, in their tens of thousands, formed two bodies of mounted warriors, one to the west of Coltaine's troops and one to the north on Korbolo's western flank.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 19, US HC p.503/508-510 The Battle Coltaine launched the battle at dawn, sending his Crow lancers and mounted archers charging at the still awakening Bhilard camp to the southeast. Dom's troops soon began clashing with the Weasel and Foolish Dog rearguard while the vast numbers of Khundryl began moving southward. A group of Khundryl war chiefs directly approached Coltaine's command position to parley. They informed the Fist that they had long awaited the day when it would be determined which of the tribes of the south odhans was the most powerful. Coltaine replied that the Wickans were beyond such tribal concerns as they were part of the Malazan Empire.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 19, US HC p.509-510 The Crow Clan and the 7th Army were unable to punch through the Tregyn and Bhilard tribes to the south and Dom's forces pushed the rearguard backwards into their own lines. Defeat was inevitable. But Coltaine's fortune turned when the Khundryl finally entered the fray. The southern mass of Khundryl charged into the Tregyn lines while the northern mass assaulted Dom's flank. A third hidden Khundryl force approached the battle through the valley to the south to launch an attack on the Bhilard.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 19, US HC p.511 Dom's force spent the next four hours driving back the Khundryl, but not before the Semk, Can'eld, and Tithansi were shattered. An hour later the Bhilard and Tregyn tribes were broken and set to flight in the south. Nearing dusk, a Khundryl war chief returned to Coltaine. The Fist congratulated him on proving the Khundryl as strongest of the odhan tribes, but the chief scoffed at his words. He raised his sword in salute and bellowed:Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 19, US HC p.511 Aftermath The Khundryl failed to break Dom's army, but scattered his tribal allies before returning to their homes. Coltaine's forces now numbered no more than five thousand soldiers as they continued southward, reaching Sanimon tel after three days. An enraged Dom ordered constant harassing attacks by Tarxian cavalry against the train from all directions. After forty hours of constant fighting, Coltaine's soldiers were dying on their feet but still capable of routing Dom's forces in piecemeal attacks.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 19, US HC p.511Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 20, US HC p.521-525 But Coltaine had reached a decision point. The army could no longer fight and protect the refugees at the same time. So the Fist sent the refugees ahead escorted by thirty of the youngest Wickan warriors. The group was led by Duiker and the army's two remaining warlocks, Nether and Nil. From here on, the army would fight as a rearguard to stall Dom's advance while the refugees made their way to safety.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 20, US HC p.525/531 Notes and references Category:Battles